Norris' dominant win puts Verstappen and Red Bull under pressure in title fight

ZANDVOORT, Netherlands -- Lando Norris' commanding win at the Dutch Grand Prix has signaled that Max Verstappen's grip on the 2024 Formula One World Championship is less secure than the standings might suggest.

Norris' second Formula One win has narrowed Verstappen's title lead from 78 points to just 70, with nine races left in the season. In any other scenario, this might seem an insurmountable lead, considering Verstappen's exceptional talent and his ability to push the limits with a challenging Red Bull car. However, Norris' dominant 22-second victory margin underscores a significant shift in the competitive landscape of F1 since the early races of the season.

McLaren now appears to be the team to beat with a car capable of consistently taking points away from Verstappen. When questioned about his title ambitions, Norris remained cautious.

"I've been fighting for the championship since the first race of the year," Norris said. "I've been working hard the whole year and I'm still 70 points behind Max, so it's pretty stupid to think of anything at the minute. I just take one race at a time and just keep doing what I'm doing now because there's no point to think ahead and think of the rest. I don't care about it at the minute."

Norris’ triumph has clearly put Red Bull on edge.

"We're lucky that they underperformed at the start of the year, so we've got a 70-point buffer, but that can diminish pretty quickly," Red Bull CEO and team principal Christian Horner stated post-race. "It's remarkable that that's only Lando's second win in that car. He's driving well, he's finding confidence.

"The pressure is on us to respond. We're used to being in championship fights over the years, we'll dig deep and we're going to fight with everything we've got over the remaining races."

For Norris, the win was a reaffirmation of his and McLaren's progress after a long wait since his first victory in May, which came after five years and 110 races. Norris had missed multiple opportunities for further wins. He might have triumphed had he started on pole at Imola, under different circumstances in Canada and Hungary, and if not for errors in Spain, Austria, and Great Britain.

Following F1's typical four-week summer break, Norris ensured that missed opportunities did not haunt him into September.

"You know, we probably should have won two, three more races as a team, but we didn't," Norris admitted Sunday night. "And we're not saying anything more than that. You know, we should have won and we didn't, and it's because we've not done a good enough job. I didn't do a good enough job. And we worked hard over the summer break to just try to take a step back and reset and go again."

Initially, it appeared that the Dutch Grand Prix would follow a familiar script with Verstappen passing Norris at Turn 1. It marked the sixth instance where Norris lost the lead after starting from pole. However, McLaren's remarkable pace advantage became apparent, as Norris regained and extended his lead on Lap 18.

"It feels amazing, yeah, once again," Norris said after exiting his car. "I wouldn't say a perfect race, because of Lap 1 again, but afterwards it was beautiful. You know, the pace was very strong. The car was unbelievable today, so I could get comfortable, I could push and get past Max, which was the main thing, and just go from there. So, honestly, quite a straightforward race, still tough, but very enjoyable."

Despite Norris' struggles with race starts, McLaren's superior pace ensured that once ahead, they were untouchable.

Norris acknowledged the car's prowess in no uncertain terms. When asked if McLaren was now the quickest car on the grid, he replied emphatically:

"Oh, 100%, yeah."

McLaren's clear advantage is a result of continuous upgrades since their Miami Grand Prix introduction, making their car a versatile competitor. Recent updates further bolstered their position.

"This was our first time we really put something on the car to drive us a step forward, and it definitely did that, but it's not like we've not been competitive over the last two months since Miami," Norris explained.

"We've been quickest in Budapest, very quick at certain other races like Barcelona and Silverstone and stuff like that, but small things make a big difference. And today, with how the car felt, I'm sure it was a step ahead. You know, a new rear wing probably helped me get past Max today, so little things like that definitely help you go forwards."

Red Bull’s Horner recognized the challenge McLaren now poses.

"McLaren are setting the benchmark now. That's clear in terms of pace. They've been that the last couple of races. Certainly in Hungary they were very competitive, Spa it was Mercedes, here, Lando in particular was very, very strong. Definitely they have the fastest car at the moment.

"We have to respond to that. It's not rocket science, there's no silver bullets in this business, it's a matter of understanding the problem, addressing the problem, and then implementing fixes to it."

Verstappen offered a measured perspective on the championship battle.

"I think this weekend was just a bad weekend in general," he said. "So we need to understand that, but the last few races already, they haven't really been fantastic. So that, I think in a sense, was already a bit alarming, but we know that we don't need to panic. We are just trying to improve the situation, and that's what we are working on, but F1 is very complicated."

While the 2024 championship could still be Verstappen's to lose, a series of wins from Norris could change the narrative, making it a fiercely contested title race.

Up Next